A schoolgirl was stranded by a bus driver who drove off after telling her he would wait while she hopped off to pick up the mobile phone she had dropped at the roadside.

Her concerned mother Marianne, 29, is furious at the driver after 11-year-old Chloe Cockburn panicked and accepted a lift home from a stranger

Chloe, of Cullercoats was without her coat, purse or school bag which were still on the bus.

The Monkseaton Middle School pupil had just got on the bus after school and was paying for a ticket when she realised her mobile phone had fallen out of her pocket.

She asked the bus driver, who had just pulled away, if he could stop and wait while she checked if the phone was on the road. But when she got off the bus the driver pulled away, leaving her alone in Cauldwell Avenue.

Chloe was spotted crying by a woman who works in a nearby shop and who gave her a lift home.

Mrs Cockburn said: "When Chloe got home she was very upset and it wasn't clear at first what had happened. Once I got the whole story out of her I was shocked. It's getting dark early and she was just left in the street miles from home with no coat or bag.

"I contacted the bus company, which didn't apologise. They just said I'd hear from them in writing in five to six days.

"It was very kind of the woman to give Chloe a lift home but at the same time I've always told Chloe not to accept a lift from strangers. The bus driver's actions put her in a position where she could have been at risk.

"She only just started getting the bus last week. Before, I used to drive her to school but her younger brother has changed schools so I have to pick him up. I thought Chloe was probably old enough to get the bus home herself but she's been very upset by this experience."

Martin Harris, commercial director for Go North East said: "I think this is one of those unfortunate incidents where there's been a misunderstanding. The driver said Chloe told him she'd lost her mobile phone. He stopped at the next bus stop and waited five minutes but when she didn't return he drove off not realising her bag was on the bus. I would apologise to Chloe and her parents but I think this was a genuine misunderstanding."